First day out

[chrisk]

A few bunker in a strippers belly adds some grit and weight. Lots of mixed size strippers off Long Branch yesterday. Water temp 51.

[KneeDeepSteve]

Nice striper photos  steve do you use spinning or conventional tackle on the boat?

Out of my small tin can I mainly used one of my two swimbait casting rods this year both paired with a Curado 301. The rods I use are an Okuma Guide Select 7'6" swimbait rod and a Dobyns 795ml swimbait rod. Both of these rods are perfect for throwing rubber shads around the 1oz range and other similar size baits. I also like both rods because they have pretty long handles which help when fighting bigger stripers in moving current cuz I can tuck the butt underneath my armpit.

[privateeyes]

 Yes it sounds all good man definitely want long boat rod handles  too, I screwed upa few seasons ago choosing the wrong tiger lite ugly stick 7'  BWCL2200 heavy action (14-40lb.line).. It is a great rod but for the short trigger casting handle. I bought it to match my 7000 big game ABU garcia ammbassadeur made in sweden. Just wish I knew at the time about the other tiger light with the big seat handle and fat foam grips too! That has to be the beast of all inshore boat rods for under 60.00 dollars! lol.. anyway, I put down the saltwater gear for a long time and never paid much mind for upgrading combo's I  use my  saltwater combo's  a few times each year , I 've been more into freshwater and mostly flyfishing or passing the time on a few favorite lakes upstate. I'm hoping to get out for on a head boat and try some bottom fishing soon. Enjoy

[Ski Hunter]

I don't care how black the ice is you're nuts going out on 3" of ice dude! Safe ice for me is 5" no and's, if's, or but's about it! Have you ever fallen through?

3" of ice and I'm breaking out the power auger already 


Gary, still think you're getting out on the 13th? 

[KneeDeepSteve]

Yes it sounds all good man definitely want long boat rod handles  too, I screwed upa few seasons ago choosing the wrong tiger lite ugly stick 7'  BWCL2200 heavy action (14-40lb.line).. It is a great rod but for the short trigger casting handle. I bought it to match my 7000 big game ABU garcia ammbassadeur made in sweden. Just wish I knew at the time about the other tiger light with the big seat handle and fat foam grips too! That has to be the beast of all inshore boat rods for under 60.00 dollars! lol.. anyway, I put down the saltwater gear for a long time and never paid much mind for upgrading combo's I  use my  saltwater combo's  a few times each year , I 've been more into freshwater and mostly flyfishing or passing the time on a few favorite lakes upstate. I'm hoping to get out for on a head boat and try some bottom fishing soon. Enjoy

Yea its hard to do it all and I understand not going all out on gear if you only use it a couple times a year. Those two rods I listed I use all spring and summer chasing big largemouth and smallies. It takes confidence in what your thowing to throw 6" to 9" baits to freshwater bass. I personally just have more fun throwing bigger baits and I have definitely seen bigger fish come over the rails since I started fishing with swimbaits last year; its addicting as hell.

[FishinHardWater]

3" of ice and I'm breaking out the power auger already 


Gary, still think you're getting out on the 13th? 

why wait til 3??? 2 1/2 is good enough for me!  13th isnt gonna happen in jersey this year 

[fishgalore]

I never trust those fish charts because most of the time they are way off. I see alot of charts for smallies and largemouth that show 20" fish at 5 or 6lbs and that is usually not the case unless they are shaped like a bowling ball. Honestly I shouldn't have said anything since I have always said that you can't tell a fish weight by length or even looking at a pic. The fish in your pic does look like it has been eating pretty well. Below is a fish that I caught in November off a jetty that I think is probably about 32"s and it probably less than 13lbs.

Don't want to hijack the thread but those are some nice fish. The first looks a little bit thinner than Marks but I find the chart helpful. I have no way of weighing a fish so it's either a chart, estimate by eye or use the mathematical equation.........lengt h x girth or for Trout length x girth x girth /800 which is spot on.  My friend got a Steelie over the weekend 32" x 17 1/2 x 17 1/2 /800= 12.25 lbs. That's what the scale said at the fillet station.

[Ski Hunter]

why wait til 3??? 2 1/2 is good enough for me!  13th isnt gonna happen in jersey this year 

My augers heavier than yours 

[chrisk]

Doesn't look good for an early pre-christmas start. Some cold some warm nights in the extented forecast. In the mean time there's lots of short stripers with keepers mixed in and 8-12lb blues inshore from sandyhook to shrewsbury rocks.

[KneeDeepSteve]

Doesn't look good for an early pre-christmas start. Some cold some warm nights in the extented forecast. In the mean time there's lots of short stripers with keepers mixed in and 8-12lb blues inshore from sandyhook to shrewsbury rocks.

Yea a lot of people are saying this run will last into January since the water has been so warm and the sandeels are sticking around and there are TONS of them. Ive put my time in and gas money isn't too cheap so I will probably just stick to fishing the local puddles until the ice comes.

[chrisk]

Monday the water temp was down to 47-48 so the blues should of already been gone and the stripers won't stay much longer.

[KneeDeepSteve]

Monday the water temp was down to 47-48 so the blues should of already been gone and the stripers won't stay much longer.

Depends on where you are fishing right now for water temps. Down below Shark River and south the water temps are probably still above 50 or they are 50. Your right, with a really cold snap things will shut down in a hurry after it gets below 50. Yea im surprise the blues are still around. There must be so much bait for them to not want to leave.

[chrisk]

I launch outa leonardo so the rockaways to longbranch is about all the time and gas i'll burn. I'm happy when the stipers don't make a bee line from mountak to lbi or capemay.

[KneeDeepSteve]

I launch outa leonardo so the rockaways to longbranch is about all the time and gas i'll burn. I'm happy when the stipers don't make a bee line from mountak to lbi or capemay.

I only fish from the beach and jetties and sometimes in my small rowboat in the backwaters. The farthest South I venture is Shark River. Yea the past few years is seems like the fishing has been pretty decent and the fish haven't really taken that offshore route.

[FishinHardWater]

i forgot my ice skimmer spoon when i left this morning.  good thing i didn't need it!   

[Ski Hunter]

i forgot my ice skimmer spoon when i left this morning.  good thing i didn't need it!   

did ya catch anything today? 

[FishinHardWater]

I can't wait any longer.  Kayak is coming out and I'm gonna catch some trout!

[FishinHardWater]

[Wizzofd69]

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DREAMMMMSSS.. DREAMS DREAMS DREAMSS!!! LOL

[mojofish]

Baby Jesus is almost here. I bet he'll be out there ice or not.

[AJ Flag]

haha now if baby jesus can walk on the water, do you think he can set his tip ups up without ice as well???

[mojofish]

Yes.  We all now know about the holy hand grenade so I suppose there is a holy tip-up out there somewhere he can use to catch the "Killer bluegill".

[Garnet]

this year is such a joke.....im losing my mind. i have no boat so cant get out to where the fish are and no ice to walk out there...what am i supposed to do?

[mojofish]

Dear garnet you on one side of a white silk screen (I use a satin bed sheet) your cat on the other and have a gun loaded and at the ready. Take your favorite ice fishing rod string it with pink yarn and have a ball catching cute little kitty fishies all day long. The gun is to end your humiliation like a real man in the event you ever get walked in on by a buddy. If you choose a long gun you may have to use your toes to work the trigger. Anyway you'll figure it out.

[privateeyes]

this year is such a joke.....im losing my mind. i have no boat so cant get out to where the fish are and no ice to walk out there...what am i supposed to do?
[/quoteNow just stay calm everybody and relax.. Obama and Homeland security have everything under control ]

[FishinHardWater]

problem solved 



cell phone camera sucks, but it's my tipup on top of a piece of styrofoam 

[johndeere540]

problem solved 

(Image removed from quote.)

cell phone camera sucks, but it's my tipup on top of a piece of styrofoam 

Often wonder about trying this but cant ever figure out if it would be legal here! 

[FishinHardWater]

Often wonder about trying this but cant ever figure out if it would be legal here! 

i dont think its legal in NJ 

[FishinHardWater]

i guess it depends how you interpret the rules in red

•  Fish may be taken only in the manner known
as angling with handline or with rod and line,
or as otherwise allowed by law. "
When  fishing  from  the  shoreline,  no  more
than three fishing rods, handlines or combination thereof may be used (except on the Delaware River, see page 28). For the Delaware
River the three rod limit applies both to boat
and shoreline anglers (see page 28).

<snip>

It Is Unlawful To:
•  Fish within 100 feet (or as posted) of any
fish ladder entrance or exit from March 1
through June 30.
•  Spear fish in fresh waters. See exception for
Delaware River, page 28.
•  Possess a fishing device with more than nine
hooks in total, or more than three treble hooks,
except for the Delaware River; see page 28.
•  Use set lines.
•  Use  cast  nets  in  freshwater  lakes  or  trout
stocked waters. See Baitfish Regulations, page 30
for other exclusions.
•  Foul  hook  or  snag  any  species  of  fish.  This
does not apply to fish taken through the ice.

[NJ PIKER]

just use 3 of your jigging poles from shore